Last week’s fire at the Deonar dumping ground claimed yet another victim on Saturday. Shifa Mohammed Isak, a 13-year-old resident of Umar Khadi, was undergoing treatment for TB for past six months.

After two recent hopsitalisations, her parents brought her home a day after the fire broke out on January 28. But, the smoke from the fire aggravated her condition and she had to be rushed to a private hospital again. “They finally brought her home two days ago as she showed signs of recovery. She slept on Friday night. When the family woke up on Saturday morning, she was dead,” said Siraj Shaikh, independent corporator. “Several children are suffering from TB here due to the constant smoke,” added Shaikh.

Meanwhile, fresh allegations have come up against the fire brigade. Local corporator Rais Shaikh said, “For two days, the fire department didn’t do any work; the Chief Fire Officer kept saying that it was the job of the contractor and the solid waste management team to douse the fire. The fire brigade had six vehicles standing outside the ground, but the CFO said the vehicle could not enter,” said corporator Rais Shaikh.

Chief Fire Officer P Rahangdale refuted this charge. “When we learnt that it was a big fire, three more were sent. Later, six more vans were sent. We doused the fire the next morning. However, the fire started again on Saturday, for which 14 vans were sent to spot.”